The Rugby Union and lower North Island iwi Ngati Toa have signed an agreement allowing the All Blacks to continue to use the haka Ka Mate.
The Government recognised Ngati Toa's rights to the haka in 2009, and the iwi has since applied for four phrases from Ka Mate to be trademarked.
The union's chief executive, Steve Tew, says the memorandum of understanding is a loose agreement that paves the way for future negotiation if the haka is trademarked.
Mr Tew says the agreement is the result of years of negotiation and clarifies the All Blacks' right to use the haka and Ngati Toa's ownership of it.
He says the All Blacks have been performing Ka Mate for more than a hundred years, and it has a special place in the team's history and culture.
